The main character of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" is a round character. Nearly every main character of a story is a round character, which means that the character possesses multiple traits, good and bad. Flat characters, who almost always play minor roles, show only one character or personality trait.

In addition to being a round character, the main character of "The Yellow Wallpaper" is a dyamic character. This means that her character changes throughout the course of the story. For example, the main character is somewhat hesitant to disagree with her husband in the beginning of the story, but as the story progresses and her mental health deteriorates, she becomes willing to openly defy her husband in order to satisfy her infatuation with the wallpaper.